System for acknowledging a message received on a mobile terminal

ABSTRACT

A system for acknowledging that a message sent by a sender terminal ( 1 ) and received on a destination mobile terminal ( 2 ) has been read. According to the invention, said sender terminal ( 1 ) comprises means for: a) supplying the identifier of a destination mobile terminal ( 2 ) for the message; b) generating the text of the message to be sent; and c) specifying a method of returning the read acknowledgment, accompanied by an associated identifier. Said mobile terminal ( 2 ) comprises means for: displaying the message sent by the sender terminal ( 1 ), and for sending a read acknowledgment using the specified method of return. The invention is applicable to mobile telephony.

[0001] The present invention relates to a read acknowledgment system foracknowledging that a message sent from a transmitter terminal andreceived on a destination mobile terminal has actually been read.

[0002] The invention applies in particular to the field of mobiletelephony (GSM, GPRS, UMTS, etc.), and more particularly totelecommunications services for which the sender of a message seeks tohave acknowledgment that the message has been read, or acknowledgmentthat it has merely been received, to be returned by the addressee of themessage from the destination mobile terminal.

[0003] At present, there exist various services that propose sendingmessages to mobile terminals. By way of example, these terminals can bepagers or GSM terminals handling the short-message service (SMS). Accesscan be made to the service via various means: Minitel, Web navigator,electronic mail, via a call center, etc.

[0004] Nevertheless, those services provide no guarantee that themessage received on a mobile terminal has actually been read, nor eventhat a message has at least been received by said mobile terminal.

[0005] Thus, the technical problem to be solved by the present inventionis to provide a read acknowledgment system for acknowledging that amessage sent by a sender terminal and received by a destination mobileterminal has actually been read, thus enabling the sender of a messageto be certain that the message has been read at the remote mobileterminal, and as a subsidiary matter that it has at least been received,and thus making it possible to respond to the reading of the message bysending another message or a voice call.

[0006] According to the present invention, the solution to the technicalproblem posed consists in that:

[0007] said sender terminal comprises means for:

[0008] providing an identifier of the destination mobile terminal forthe message;

[0009] generating the text of the message to be sent; and

[0010] indicating the method whereby read acknowledgment should bereturned, accompanied by an associated identifier; and

[0011] said mobile terminal comprises means for:

[0012] displaying the message sent by the sender terminal; and

[0013] sending a read acknowledgment using the specified method ofreturn.

[0014] Access to the acknowledgment system in accordance with thepresent invention is thus made by three functional categories ofterminal:

[0015] one category for sending messages, i.e. the sending terminal;

[0016] another category, i.e. the mobile terminal, equipped to receivemessages, to process messages, and to return an acknowledgment for eachmessage received; and

[0017] finally the last category enabling acknowledgments to bereceived, which category can physically be the same as the sendingterminal used for sending the message.

[0018] When a Web navigator is used for sending the initial message, thesender connects a terminal to a Web server reserved for theacknowledgment service and is then offered control elements forreceiving the following items:

[0019] a) the identifier (number) of the mobile terminal to which themessage is to be sent;

[0020] b) the text of the message to be sent;

[0021] c) selecting the way in which the acknowledgment is to bereturned, as an electronic message in the form of a text (e.g. e-mail,SMS message), or a message generated by voice synthesis (telephone);

[0022] d) the identifier corresponding to the selection made in c) towhich the acknowledgment should be sent by said electronic message inthe form of text or said message generated by voice synthesis, such as:

[0023] an e-mail address for e-mail;

[0024] a GSM or other number for SMS messages; or

[0025] a GSM, PSTN, ISDN, etc. telephone number for voice synthesis;

[0026] e) optionally, the identifier of telecommunications means wherethe sender of the message can be reached (GSM, PSTN, ISDN etc. number);and

[0027] f) also optionally, a request for an acknowledgment that themessage has been received to be sent by said method of returning readacknowledgment (acknowledgment of receipt returning to the sender by thesame path as read acknowledgment).

[0028] By way of example, pressing a button available on the interfaceserves to confirm and send the message over the telecommunicationsnetwork to the destination mobile terminal.

[0029] When a single message is sent to a plurality of destinationmobile terminals, control element (a) may accept a plurality ofidentifiers (numbers), with the same message being sent to each of thespecified mobile terminals. Acknowledgment is performed as though themessages had been sent one by one, i.e. there should be as manyacknowledgments as there are identifiers.

[0030] In order to increase the effectiveness with which a message issent, and if possible in the Web navigator, control elements (c), (d),(e), and (f) contain default values as implemented last time they wereused.

[0031] At the message receiving end, the mobile terminal may vibrate orring as a function of its facilities and of the user's preferences. Byway of example, the signal is activated on receiving an SMS message onGSM. Depending on the particular mobile terminal, it is possible eitherto read the message immediately (message is already displayed on thescreen), or else after performing some action specific to using theterminal.

[0032] Displaying a message corresponds to implementing a firstinterface (A) giving the addressee two choices:

[0033] 1) sending the acknowledgment that the message has been read tothe originating terminal;

[0034] 2) sending a voice call to the sender of the message, if controlelement (e) so requires.

[0035] After sending the acknowledgment (choice 1) or after making avoice call (choice 2), a second interface (B) gives the addressee twonew choices:

[0036] 1) archiving the message; and

[0037] 2) deleting the message.

[0038] After choice (1) or (2) has been made by interface (B), themobile terminal returns to its prior state, i.e. to its state prior toreceiving the initial message.

[0039] If another message arrives, the preceding message is archived,and it is the new message which is presented on the interface (A) if theterminal displays messages immediately.

[0040] If a message is archived and is then called up again on thescreen of the mobile terminal, the total number of choices availablefrom interfaces (A) and (B) are again proposed to the user, with theexception of choice (1) of interface (A) if the message has already beenproperly acknowledged.

[0041] It should be observed that the interface choices may be made bypressing on a button or by issuing instructions for voice recognition,for example.

[0042] Acknowledgments are received via conventional methods such asconsulting e-mail, telephone calls, consulting messages on a networkanswering service (e.g. “Top Message”).

[0043] Various options are possible:

[0044] Option 1: the addressee of the initial message can use the mobileterminal to call a call center and dictate the items needed for theacknowledgment.

[0045] Option 2: acknowledgment can return in the form of avoice-synthesized message left on a network answering service (e.g. “TopMessage”), or a message which is read out when the number left undercontrol element (e) is taken off-hook.

[0046] Option 3: an acknowledgment that the message has been received,but not read on the mobile terminal may be returned systematically overthe same channel as the acknowledgment that the message has been read.

[0047] A scenario for use of the acknowledgment system of the inventionis described below in the context of health care, and more precisely fortraveling nurses, working in the context of a home hospitalizationservice, e.g. traveling from one home to another by car.

[0048] On receiving information concerning a patient, or if it becomesnecessary to change scheduling at the last minute, possibly associatedwith synchronizing patient care, the service manager decides to informthe nurse in question, presently visiting patients, it being assumedthat the nurse possesses a GSM mobile terminal which displays receivedSMS messages directly.

[0049] The manager connects to the Web service providing acknowledgmentin accordance with the invention and fills in the following controlelements:

[0050] a) number of the nurse's GMS terminal;

[0051] b) text of the message to be sent;

[0052] c) selected method of returning the acknowledgment, with therebeing three possible variants:

[0053] variant 1:

[0054] d) e-mail address of the manager (already filled in duringearlier use);

[0055] variant 2:

[0056] d) the telephone number of the manager's extension which maybenefit from a network answering service of the “Top Message” type(already filled in during earlier use);

[0057] variant 3:

[0058] d) the manager's GSM telephone number (already filled in duringearlier use);

[0059] e) the telephone number of the manager's extension (alreadyfilled in during earlier use), for a direct telephone call; and

[0060] f) the manager decides not to check the option requesting mereacknowledgment of receipt of the message.

[0061] The manager sends the message and the message is received a shorttime later in the nurse's GSM terminal.

[0062] If the nurse's GSM terminal is busy, the network will makeattempts at regular intervals to send a message. If, after a certainlength of time or after some number of attempts, it has not beenpossible to send the message all the way to the nurse's GSM terminal,then the network sends a message back to the manager over the pathspecified for the read acknowledgment, informing the manager that themessage has not even been delivered.

[0063] The nurse will have taken the precaution to put the terminal onthe “vibrate” option when it receives SMS messages so as to remaindiscrete with respect to a patient, should the nurse be carrying outhome care. When back in the car or at a time that is convenient in thepatient's home, the nurse looks at the GSM terminal which displays themessage sent by the manager.

[0064] Depending on the content of the message, the nurse can eithercall the manager's extension directly, or can merely acknowledge thatthe received message has been read. Once one of those two actions hasbeen performed, the nurse decides to delete the message.

[0065] If the nurse's GSM terminal is disconnected from the network(which is unlikely assuming the nurse has just received the message),then the terminal waits until contact is reestablished in order to sendthe acknowledgment, and the GSM terminal then informs the nurse.

[0066] If the nurse's GSM terminal cannot communicate with the networkbecause the network is overloaded, then it makes attempts at regularintervals to send the acknowledgment. If after a certain length of timeor a certain number of attempts the terminal has not managed to send theacknowledgment, its interface informs the nurse of this failure.

[0067] Variant 1: if the manager's electronic mail server is unavailable(saturation, breakdown, etc.) or if the e-mail address is wrong, thenthe network makes another attempt at sending the acknowledgment in theform of e-mail. If, after a certain length of time or after a certainnumber of attempts, it has not been possible to deliver theacknowledgment message to the manager's server, then a conventional SMSmessage is sent to the nurse reporting this failure.

[0068] The service handling the manager's e-mail is permanentlyconnected. Thus, as soon as the arrival of a message on the e-mailserver is notified, the acknowledgment message is loaded into theterminal. Once the manager has become aware of the acknowledgmentmessage, she is certain that the initial message has been read.

[0069] Variant 2: the server for receiving read acknowledgments from theGSM system generates a voice message and then calls the number specifiedby the manager. If the manager (or her personal answering service)answers the call, then the message is read n times in a loop as fromanswering (and if after n times the manager has not hung up, the serverhangs up).

[0070] If the manager is already on a call or if she does not answer andif she subscribes to a “Top Message” type answering service on thenetwork, then the synthesized voice message is left on the “Top Message”service.

[0071] If the manager is already on a call or does not answer and is nota subscriber to a “Top Message” service, then the server calls again acertain number of times.

[0072] If, after a certain length of time or a certain number ofattempts, it has not been possible to deliver the acknowledgment, then aconventional SMS message is sent to the nurse concerning this failure.

[0073] As soon as the manager answers, or listens to her personalanswering service, or interrogates “Top Message”, she knows that herinitial message has been read.

[0074] Variant 3: the server receiving read acknowledgments from thenurse's GSM terminal generates a new SMS message for the manager's GSMterminal. As in the preceding variant, if, after a certain length oftime or after a certain number of attempts, it has not been possible tosend the new SMS message to the manager's GSM terminal, then aconventional SMS message is sent to the nurse concerning this failure.

[0075] Once the manager is aware of the SMS message that has reached herGSM terminal, she knows that the initial message has been read.

[0076] The description below with reference to the accompanying drawinggiven by way of non-limiting example shows what the invention consistsin and how it can be implemented.

[0077]FIG. 1 is a diagram of a read acknowledgment system in accordancewith the invention.

[0078]FIG. 1 shows a system for acknowledging that a message sent by asending terminal 1 and received by a destination mobile terminal 2 hasbeen read.

[0079] At the sending end, the system comprises, in addition to thesender of the message that is to be sent, a terminal 1 connected to theInternet and a Web navigator, an e-mail service, and a telephoneterminal.

[0080] In the example of FIG. 1, at the receiving end, the systemcomprises, in addition to the addressee of the message, a mobiletelephone 2 of the GSM type having a subscriber identification module(SIM) card. The SIM card contains an application suitable forimplementing the acknowledgment system of the invention.

[0081] The connection between the sending terminal 1 and the mobileterminal 2 is established via an intermediary server 3 and an SMS-Cgateway 4.

[0082] The intermediary server 3 is an application server suitable forimplementing an acknowledgment system in accordance with the invention.It includes a finite-state controller in software, a Web server 30, ane-mail interface 31, and a network answering service (“Top Message”),and an interface 32 for communication with the SMC-C gateway 4.

[0083] The Web server 30 comprises HTML/javascript pages including CGIscript enabling message-sending requests to be received. It is capableof generating dynamic HTML pages in order to describe the status of eachmessage that has been sent at the request of the sender.

[0084] The e-mail interface 31 and “Top Message” enable the status ofeach message to be sent respectively by e-mail or by the “Top Message”service. A message may have any of the following statuses:

[0085] not received by the addressee, GSM terminal 2 not withincoverage;

[0086] not received by the addressee, GSM terminal 2 busy;

[0087] not received by the addressee, because of a network transmissionproblem;

[0088] received by the GSM terminal 2; and

[0089] acknowledged by the addressee.

[0090] The SMS-C gateway 4 is a GSM telecommunications gateway enablingSMS messages to be routed between applications servers, such as theintermediary server 3, and GSM terminals. It has a system for notifyingreception, and more generally, it enables the applications servers toknow:

[0091] whether an SMS message has been received by a GSM terminal;

[0092] whether the destination terminal is out of coverage;

[0093] whether the destination terminal is busy; and

[0094] whether an error has occurred in transmission.

[0095] The acknowledgment system of FIG. 1 operates as follows.

[0096] Using the terminal 1 connected to the Internet and its Webnavigator, the person sending a message connects (a) to the Web server30. Using a form constituted by an HTML page, the following fields arefilled in:

[0097] the identifier of the destination mobile terminal for themessage, in this case the number of the GSM terminal 2;

[0098] the text of the message to be sent;

[0099] the way in which read acknowledgment is to be returned. In aparticular implementation, return can be by e-mail. The sender of themessage must then specify the associated identifier in the form, whichin this case is constituted by the sender's e-mail address (assumingthat this information has not already been given during earlier use);

[0100] optionally the sender may supply the identifier oftelecommunications means where the sender can be reached (assuming thatthis has not already been done during earlier use). This identifier isthe sender's telephone number.

[0101] The sender of the message then clicks on a button for sending theform. The fields filled-in in the above manner are forwarded to theintermediary server 3 via the CGI script which sends a dynamic HTML pageto the sender giving information about the status of messages that havebeen sent, thus enabling the sender to keep track of message progress.

[0102] Thereafter, the intermediary server 3 formats the message so thatit can be sent (b) to the SMS-C gateway 4, requesting that it benotified of receipt.

[0103] Reception of the SMS message by the gateway 4 is notified (c) tothe intermediary server 3. This notification is returned back to thesender of the message by dynamic HTML pages. In the event of an error intransmission, the server 3 makes attempts at regular intervals to sendagain. If the GSM mobile terminal 2 is out of coverage, then the server3 request the SMS-C gateway to alert it in the event of the terminal 2reconnecting with the network.

[0104] The SMS message is then received (d) on the mobile terminal 2 andtriggers a dedicated application in its SIM card so as to display a menuon the screen of the terminal, the menu comprising the followingoptions:

[0105] acknowledge the message, and possibly also reply thereto in theform of a text message;

[0106] make a voice call to the sender of the message via the sender'stelephone.

[0107] The acknowledgment, optionally accompanied by a text message, issent (e) to the gateway 4 and then (f) to the intermediary server 3, andfinally (g) to the initial sender of the message using the method ofreturn as specified initially, e.g. e-mail.

[0108] At any time, the sender of the message may act through theinterface 31 to ask (h) the intermediary server 3 to provide the statusof a message that has previously been sent. The various statuses aredescribed above. The response is sent (i) in the form of an electronicmessage, or by “Top Message”.

1/ A system for acknowledging that a message sent by a sender terminal(1) and received by a destination mobile terminal (2) has been read, thesystem being characterized in that: said sender terminal (1) comprisesmeans for: providing an identifier of the destination mobile terminal(2) for the message; generating the text of the message to be sent; andindicating the method whereby read acknowledgment should be returned,accompanied by an associated identifier; and said mobile terminal (2)comprises means for: displaying the message sent by the sender terminal(1); and sending a read acknowledgment using the specified method ofreturn. 2/ A system according to claim 1, characterized in that saidmethod of returning the acknowledgment is an electronic message in theform of text or is a message generated by voice synthesis. 3/ A systemaccording to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the senderterminal (1) further comprises means for supplying the mobile terminal(2) with the identifier of telecommunications means where the sender ofthe message can be reached. 4/ A system according to any one of claims 1to 3, characterized in that the sender terminal (1) further comprisesmeans for requesting an acknowledgment of receipt of the message to besent using said method of returning read acknowledgment. 5/ A systemaccording to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it presenta first interface (A) giving the addressee two options: to send theacknowledgment that the message has been read to the sender terminal(1); or to make a voice call to the sender of the message. 6/ A systemaccording to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it presentsa second interface (B) giving the addressee two options: to archive themessage; or to delete the message. 7/ A sender terminal (1) forimplementing the acknowledgment system according to any one of claims 1to 6, characterized in that it comprises means for: providing anidentifier of the destination mobile terminal (2) for the message;generating the text of the message to be sent; and indicating the methodwhereby read acknowledgment should be returned, accompanied by anassociated identifier. 8/ A sender terminal (1) according to claim 7,characterized in that it further comprises means for supplying themobile terminal (2) with the identifier of telecommunications meanswhere the sender of the message can be reached. 9/ A sender terminal (1)according to claim 6 or claim 7, characterized in that it furthercomprises means for requesting acknowledgment of receipt of the messageusing said method of returning the read acknowledgment. 10/ A mobileterminal (2) for implementing the acknowledgment system according to anyone of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises means for:displaying the message sent by the sender terminal (1); and sending aread acknowledgment using the specified method of return.